Lorne Padman - Interview

Internationally touring DJ, general manager of the Vicious record label and the producer of numerous chart topping tracks, Lorne has accomplished feats many of his peers only dream of.

Beginning his career as a lighting engineer and official piss break DJ, Lorne rose quickly through the disc jockey ranks and was soon playing main rooms at nightclubs across Perth. “From year 2000 onwards was me taking it quite seriously” Lorne explains, “During the week I was doing all this proper daytime work, stuff that your parents would be happy for their son to do, but on the weekend I’d be totally rocking out as a DJ and loving it.” Performing at massive venues and supporting major acts had him brought to the attention of one John Course, co-owner of the record label Vicious. Amid playing at the esteemed Russian club ‘RAI’ and collaborating with some of the biggest names in the country, Lorne ultimately landed the position of managing the massive dance label.

“I got caught up working for Vicious and I’ve been running the company for two or three years now. It was just very organic. I must admit I really don’t know what I want to do when I grow up.” Lorne has managed to delay growing up for awhile now, amassing 15 years experience on the decks. But his longevity as a DJ hasn’t lessened his adolescent attitude. “I really don’t want to be old. If you asked me how old I feel, I would say I’m 22. And I know that I’m 28. But the reality is I’m actually 34 on paper. I just don’t get that. I didn’t sign anything or agree to anything, I have no idea how that happened. I just blinked.”

His association with Vicious and his experience on the decks has bestowed Lorne with a keen inkling as to what’s the future of music will look like. With tracks coming in daily from veteran DJs across the country, Lorne knows more than most the future of music. “Working with Vicious definitely helps me in understanding what’s hot in music land, as I’m hearing music a lot earlier than most people on the planet. I’m always looking for the next thing, stuff that really motivates a crowd and gets them really excited. I’m interested in stuff that injects a little bit of emotion into dance music, which is not simple to do without it coming off as too fluffy or sweet.”

LORNE PADMAN IS JOINED BY JOHN COURSE AT THE MET TUESDAY AUGUST 10

The Belligerents - Interview

Known for their intensely physical live performances, the boisterous boys behind The Belligerents give us a rundown of their upcoming EP, the band’s origins and plans for the future.

Self-described as the “longest eargasm of psych dance you’ve ever encountered”, The Belligerents have fashioned a unique concoction of toe-tapping dance-rock to get even the most reserved jumping around. With their hit singles “These Hands” and “Bye Bye Bye” clocking in at number two and nine respectively on Triple J's Unearthed program, it’s no wonder this fivesome is fast becoming one of Brisbane’s hottest acts. With their released songs achieving such rapid prominence, it comes as a bit of a surprise that the band emerged only recently, from very humble beginnings. Andy Balzat, keyboardist, explains, “Before recording our songs it was kind of hard to market a band properly because we only had really bad tracks on our MySpace, and it was always embarrassing because it looks like shit and sounds like shit.”

The members were brought together and united by their love for, well, other band member’s sisters, friends from Germany and a variety of other school based relationships. Emerging from the Sunshine Coast and picking up members along the way, the band exploded into the Brisbane music scene last November, setting the Hangar ablaze with dancefloor dynamite. But their rapid popularity hasn’t been an accident, according to the band. Since their inception, the boys have laboured rigorously in rehearsals and concerts, at one point performing a show every weekend, minimum.

“That period really helped us to determine what we wanted in the band, and in the music,” Andy continued, “and eventually we finished our EP, which we are set to release in about six weeks.”
In addition to the impending EP, the band hopes to be touring the East Coast in the next two months.
“Hopefully we can go as far as we can. We are also looking to travel internationally next year, maybe to Berlin. We’ll take it like it comes, we don’t have any plans. We’ll still like to be together and make music we love, that’s why we’re together in the first place.”

But what motivates the Belligerents? What gets them out of bed in the late afternoon? Well, the band’s mission statement is fairly straightforward. They simply aim to get people on their feet and wildly flailing their limbs.
“We want our audience to be dancing, smiling, and partying. Frantic and sweaty. I like nakedness as well. I imagine most people listening to our music naked. It makes me happy.”

THE BELLIGERENTS SUPPORT TIN CAN RADIO AT THE HI-FI FRIDAY JULY 23.